


Where the Heart Lies

by TheSilverFrames



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parenting, Child Neglect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-05 07:49:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12790041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilverFrames/pseuds/TheSilverFrames
Summary: Tempest was sixteen years old when his mother forced him to get a job at Camp Campbell after he was fired from his old job. After making friends with his co-workers, he finds comfort in an unlikely person.





	1. Chapter 1: A Forceful Beginning

“Mother, you can’t be serious!” A quiet voice rang out after moments of endless silence. The soft-spoken voice came from a young sixteen-year-old boy, his face held a baffled expression as he looked a the newspaper that had been roughly shoved into his hands. “As serious as-a heart attack, Tempest. You need-a job, I ain’t keepin’ no freeloader inma house!” His mother countered back, her words coming out jumbled and slurred. It was obvious that she was drunk... _ again. _ Her eyes were lidded and glossed over, her stance was wobbly and her breath was rancid. Tempest, looked back to the newspaper in his arms, frowning at the article his mother had pointed out to him, well, less pointed out and more shoved into his face. It was an article for a job opening at a camp not too far from their house called Camp Campbell. He gazed back up at his mother and tried to make himself sound as stern as his soft voice would allow him to be.

“Mother, I  _ just _ got fired from my old job, I need to wait a few weeks to apply for another job, not three days! I’ll look desperate!” He explained exasperatedly, trying to get it through his mother’s thick, intoxicated head, but she was not hearing any of it. She was quick to come up with a flimsy argument. “I don’t care bout that, boy! You need a job, they’re offerin’ a job and you’re gettin’ a job!” The brunette spat, her thin body swaying back and forth slowly as she glared at him with half-lidded light green eyes. Tempest sighed begrudgingly in defeat, there was no way he would ever be able to win an argument with his mother, she always won, even when she was very,  _ very _ clearly wrong. Nothing would change her mind on anything, even if you countered her with basic facts that even a young child would know, she still wouldn’t listen. “...Fine, I’ll try and get the job.” He reluctantly conceded, quickly memorizing the phone-number printed on the article. “Good, you’d better get it too! Cause’ I ain’t having a freeloader in ma house!” She slurred heavily, glaring at Tempest with very bloodshot eyes.

Tempest shook his head and sighed. “You said that already Mother…” She didn’t even answer this time, she simply turned away from him, almost falling over in the process, and hobbled off in the direction of the kitchen, probably to do drugs or drink more. Tempest sighed again as he watched his mother stumble away, almost tripping over her scarlet red dress in the process. Knowing her, she would probably be calling one of her _ ‘male friends’ _ for some  _ ‘fun’ _ tonight. Once she was out of earshot, he pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket and quietly typed in the number from the article. He placed his phone to his ear and listened to the soft ringing. He took a few breaths, trying to keep himself calm as to not make himself look like an idiot, he wasn’t really that successful because the moment the very cheery; “Hello, you’re talking to David, head counselor of Camp Campbell! What can I do for you?” Tempest froze up, panicking inside and mind racing about what he should say. He decided on blurting; “U-Um, U-Uh… H-Hello, I-I uh, w-wanted to know if you were still offering interviews for job positions?” His voice shuttered and shook as he stuttered out what he needed to say.

He internally slapped himself for sounding so small and pathetic, even if he was nervous as all get out, he still felt stupid for sounding so childish and unprofessional. He was asking for an interview for fuck's sake, he shouldn’t be stuttering like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar! Fucking anxiety. He hoped that the man on the other end actually understood what he had said through all his stuttering because he really,  _ really _ didn’t want to repeat himself. “Oh, yes! We need all the help we can get here! All you need to do is come on down to Camp Campbell and ask for David! You know the location right?” Tempest gulped slightly and nodded his head despite the fact that the man on the other end couldn’t see him. “Y-Yes, I do sir.” He muttered softly, almost inaudibly. He hoped that the man had heard him. It seemed that he did because the man on the other end made a little-excited noise, like a tiny childish squeal. “Great! I’ll see you when you get here! Is tomorrow okay with you?” Tempest nodded his head again, playing with his navy blue shirt and looking at the floor. “Y-Yes sir…”

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow then!” And with that the man hung up, leaving Tempest standing there, feeling embarrassed and weak. He really needed to work on his social skills… and his phone call skills… and his professional skills, you know what he really just needed to work on speaking to people in general. He carefully placed the newspaper on a nearby table, slid his cell phone back into his pocket and was about to start walking in the direction of his bedroom, only to stop when he heard the front door to the house open, then slam. Looks like father was home from work. Tempest turned to face the tall man. He gulped, taking a few more breaths and clearing his throat softly. His father shot an annoyed look at him, his dark green eyes burning into Tempest’s own dark blue ones. “Whatda  _ you _ want?” Came his deep, angry sounding voice, brows arched down and a deep frown clear on his tan face. In an instant, any confidence Tempest had was stripped away from him when he saw that familiar, icy glare from his father.

Tempest found himself shaking in place, his mouth going dry and any words he had to say got caught in his throat. “Um, uh… C-Can you, um…” Was all he managed to weakly stutter out, his voice clearly shaking just as bad as his thin body. His father’s glare became darker and he growled loudly. “Well? Speak up boy!!” He hissed harshly, making Tempest shrink back out of fear. He had to pick his words carefully, his father was clearly upset and he didn’t want to anger him further. “I-I… F-Father, c-can you d-drive me to a job interview t-tomorrow, p-please?” He immediately regretted asking his question, because the moment it left his mouth, his father’s face went from angry to downright pissed. “Do you  _ know _ how much I make from my damn job? I  _ barely _ make enough to buy gas and you expect me to drive  _ you _ to work now!?” He shouted, stalking closely to his son and standing mere inches away from him. He towered over the young teenager, making him feel even smaller than he already was. Tempest could smell his father’s breath, giving away the fact that he, like his mother, was drunk.

His father’s eyes were wide and full of complete rage. He rushed to explain himself and to try and calm his father down. “N-No sir! I-I just n-need you to d-drive me tomorrow! I-If I end up getting the job, you won’t need to d-drive me ever again! I’ll be there for the rest of the s-summer!” He weakly squeaked out, however, this didn’t seem to please his father, who grabbed Tempest roughly by the front of his shirt and lifted him slightly. “And you expect me to waste  _ my _ time talkin’ you there!? You’re damn lucky that you need a fuckin’ job and money, cause if you didn’t, I’d be gettin’ out my belt and beatin’ your little ass for wastin’  _ my _ time! Now get outta my way you little shit!!” Without any hesitation or warnings, Tempest’s father threw him roughly to the ground. The moment his body collided with the floor, Tempest let out a loud shriek as sharp pains shot up through his right arm. He looked down and almost burst into tears when he saw just how cut up his arm was. He had landed on several shards and pieces of broken wine and beer bottles that had been left on the ground from his parent's last drunken fight.

Many pieces of glass of different shapes and sizes had pierced into his skin, making his arm bleed heavily, painting the floor with crimson dots. The cuts spanned from his elbow all the way to his wrist, coating it with dark red liquid. Tempest let out a loud whimper, biting his bottom lip to try and keep himself from crying, but he didn’t succeed at all. The pain proved to be too much and the tears that pooled in his eyes slip free, trail down his face and fall to the dirty, unkempt floor. His father didn’t even bat an eye at what he had done to his son, he just huffed, still very much pissed off, and stomped off into the kitchen, leaving Tempest sitting on the floor, sniffling and crying. “Obsidian!!” He roared loudly, making Tempest flinch. Looks like he and mother would be fighting again tonight. Tempest carefully stood from the floor, sniffling loudly and making sure not to let any more glass go into his hands. He quickly rushed off to his room, not wanting to be in his parent's line of sight while they fought and he locked the door behind him and sat on his bed. He looked over the various pieces of glass sticking from his arm, noticing that his shirt was now stained with blood. He sniffled, knowing full well that there was no way he would be able to clean his arm up on his own. He carefully pulled out his phone again and texted a very familiar number that he had texted many times.

_ ‘Claire… can you come pick me up? I need your help…’ _


	2. New Job

The ride to Camp Campbell was completely silent. No words were spoken at all between Tempest and his father, the radio in the old car was broken, so no music played to fill the unnerving silence. Tempest kept his gaze strictly out the window, not daring to look at his father out of fear of making him angry, especially after what happened to him last night. He was honestly very lucky that Claire had nothing at all to do yesterday, so she was able to get the glass out and bandage up his arm for him. She was, of course, worried about him as always, but there was nothing to two could do about the situation. Tempest was stuck living with his parents for at least the next two years. They had custody of him, so he was pretty much their property, much to his dismay, but nonetheless, he powered through it. After all, things could be worse. It didn’t take very long for the old, beat up car to pull into the camp entrance, making Tempest finally tear his gaze from out the window so he could pick up his pale blue worn-out backpack from off the dirty floorboard. He had brought his bag with him in case he did get the job, that way he wouldn’t have to go back to his house to get his things.

He didn’t have very much in the first place, just some spare clothes and his phone charger. The car pulled up to one of the several cabins and stopped. Tempest’s father still didn’t look at him. Tempest exited the car, slinging his bag around his shoulders and he glanced at his father to say goodbye, only to watch as he reversed his vehicle and drove off. He stared for a few seconds before sighing and turning to face the cabin he stood in front of. Tempest could feel his blood pressure spike. He was nervous, very, very nervous. He was always nervous when talking to people, he felt that he would do or say something wrong and that he would make a fool of himself. So he often tried to avoid talking with strangers. He was honestly surprised that he even got his last job. After all, he stuttered and barely looked at the person who interviewed him. This was different though, the man that he spoke to on the phone seemed happy and optimistic, unlike the person he spoke to for his last job who sounded bored and uninterested in everything.

Tempest finally gained enough courage to make his way to the door of the cabin and, with a shaking fist, knocked on the door. He waited, his breath going silent. He debated running off and forgetting about the interview to save himself the embarrassment of speaking to someone that might make fun of his awkward nature, but he didn’t get the chance. The wooden door swung open with a loud creak, making Tempest jump back out of reflex and fear of being hit by the force. A very tall man stood with one of his hands on the doorknob, smiling wide and forest green eyes sparkling. The man didn’t seem to take notice of how much he had startled Tempest, he just looked the young man over and his smile grew. _“Goooood morning_ and welcome to Camp Campbell! My name is David, I’m the head counselor here! Are you the person I talked to over the phone yesterday?” He spoke in an upbeat and cheerful tone, catching Tempest off guard a little. He recovered as fast as he could and he nodded slowly. “Y-Yes sir, I-I am.” He muttered softly, internally screaming at himself about how bad his voice shook.

David didn’t appear to take notice of it though, he simply smiled at Tempest. “That’s great! Come on inside and we’ll start your interview!” He chirped, grabbing Tempest’s hand and dragging him inside the cabin. The teenager let out a little yelp of surprise, this guy was stronger than he looked. David pulled the young man into the common area and motioned for him to sit on a rather large, blue, cushioned chair, which he did. David plopped himself in a similar green striped chair across from him and produced a clipboard and pen from seemingly out of nowhere. What was this guy? A cartoon character? “So, let’s start with the basics! What’s your name?” He started, still smiling. Tempest unintentionally squirmed under David’s gaze, it wasn’t really him making him scared per say, it was more his own anxiety making him nervous and freaked out by everything the other man did. “M-My name is Tempest, sir. T-Tempest White.” He stuttered out, voice quiet and jittery, making him wince at how pathetic he sounded just saying his own name to a stranger. David didn’t seem to mind though, he just scribbled something down on his paper, then he grinned up at him.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tempest!” He beamed, then continued his questions. “Do you have any experience with children Tempest?” Tempest nodded mutely, quickly reaching for his backpack, opening it and ruffling through it, then pulling out a piece of paper. “Y-Yes sir, I-I um… I have a resume, I printed it off of your camp’s website…” He stammered, handing the paper over to David shakily. “Oh! That’s great! You really thought ahead! Let me look it over for a minute.” The brunette accepted the paper, silently reading it with a smile still on his face. Tempest fiddled with the long blue sleeves of his shirt, trying to calm himself down and failing. A minute passed without either of them speaking, making Tempest more and more nervous as he watched David’s eyes read the paper in his hands. Finally, after two minutes of agonizing silence, David spoke up. “Everything looks like it’s in order.” Tempest let out a tiny sigh that he didn’t even know he was holding, feeling relief wash over his body like waves on the shore of a beach. “However,” And then his heart went to his throat.

“You wrote that you’re sixteen years old. In order to be a camp counselor, you need to be at least eighteen years old and to be a camp counselor in training you need to be at least seventeen years old.” David looked up from the paper and was met with the most upset face he had ever seen. Although upset was a huge understatement, the poor boy was terrified. His father would kill him for not getting the job _and_ having him drive him all the way out here for nothing! “O-Oh… I-I… I-I didn’t know that… I’m sorry for wasting your time s-sir…” Tempest croaked, not caring how broken his voice sounded. He was too busy panicking to care about how much of a pitiful little child he was being, he was scared, he was scared about what his father would do to him. “I-I’ll leave…” Tempest zipped up his bag and started to stand from the chair, only to stop when David opened his mouth again. “But, everything else on here is perfect for this job. So, I think I could let your age slide if you still want the position.” David smiled warmly at the young teenager, who looked like he had just been given a gift he had always wanted.

Tempest had to use all the strength in his body not to cry. “I-I… really?” Was all he managed to force out of his mouth. David nodded his head. “Yes really, we need all the help we can get here at Camp Campbell and from what your resume says, you fit the criteria. Why would I pass up an opportunity to have a new co-worker?” Tempest didn’t respond for a few seconds, once again, he had to use all his internal strength to keep himself from crying. He managed to smile back at the chipper brunette. “T-Thank you, sir! You don’t know how much this means to me…” Tempest thanked him, resisting the urge to jump from the chair and hug the other man. David simply laughed, standing from his chair and patting Tempest’s shoulder. “It’s no problem! I’m excited to have another member of our little nature family! Now, come with me and I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” David chirped, practically skipping down a short hallway connected to the common room. Tempest followed closely behind him, watching the man in front of him like he was some kind of alien. Where did this guy get all his enthusiasm?

The two stopped moments later at the second door on the right of the hallway. David pulled out some keys, unlocked the door and pushed it open, ushering him inside. “Here it is! This’ll be your room for the next two months! I hope you don’t mind, but we only have three rooms for counselors and there’s four of us. Gwen, one of our co-workers is the only girl, so we thought it might be best for her to have a room to herself. That means you’ll have to share the room with someone, is that okay with you?” He asked. “Oh, I don’t mind really. I’ve had to stay weeks at my friends' houses before, so I’m used to sharing rooms.” The teenager explained, playing with the straps on his backpack and glancing around the room. “That’s great then! You’re going to love your roommate, he’s a real character, very friendly and quirky. He’s in the mess-hall with the campers and Gwen, it’s breakfast time after all!” He gestured out the window to a building with a flag waving in front of it. “I’ll leave you to unpack and put your things away, when you’re done you can come out the mess-hall and eat breakfast with us! You might be a little late, but that’s A-okay! I’ll let it slip since it’s your first day.”

The tall man skipped towards the doorway, pausing after he grabbed the doorknob and glancing over his shoulder at Tempest. “Before I go, can I get your shirt size for your counselor outfit?” He asked, still grinning like a dork. Jeez, does this guy _ever_ not smile? “Um… a medium may be best for me since I’m so tall and thin.” He answered quietly, playing with his shirt sleeves again. “Alrighty then! I’ll get you your shirt later today. I’ll leave you to unpack and I’ll meet you at the mess-hall later!” David didn’t give Tempest a chance to respond, he just closed the door and left the teenager alone in the room. Tempest stared at the door for a few seconds, a little blown away by that man’s optimism. He was… _different_ to say the least. But, different in a good way. He sort of reminded him of Jamie, one of his friends. Overly happy, full of energy and smiling all the time. Nonetheless, he felt a little relieved about being by himself for a little while, socializing was draining. Tempest took a good look around the room he had been provided. It was small, about the same size as his bedroom back home, two beds sat opposite each other up against the walls, a small dresser sat in between them, right below a window and there was a small table and chair resting a few feet from the door with a cell phone charging on top of it.

Taking a wild guess as to which bed was going to be his, he removed his backpack and plopped it down on the cleaner looking bed. He opened the old bag, started pulling out his clothes, folding them and putting them in the bottom drawer of the tiny dresser. When he was done, he pulled out his phone charger, zipped up his bag and slid it under the bed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, sat on the bed and smiled softly as he went into his group chat that he and his friends all talked through. As he expected, they were all online. He immediately began typing into the chat.


	3. Friendly Ghost Hunter as a Roommate

_ Tempest: Hey guys. _

_ Jamie: Heyoo!! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ _

_ Claire: Teemmmppp!! _

_ Stevie: So he finally speaks. _

_ Tempest: Oh shush Stephen, I’ve been busy with my job interview. _

_ Claire: Did you get the job love? _

_ Tempest: Wellllll… _

 

Tempest waited about a minute, just to leave his friends shrouded in tension. Claire didn’t seem to like that.

 

_ Claire: C’mon Temp! Don’t leave us in suspense!! I’ll come down to that camp, tie you up and make you tell us!! (Knife emoji) _

Tempest snickered rather loudly before typing his reply.

_ Tempest: Okay! Okay! Never thought you’d kill me over keeping my mouth shut. _

_ Claire: Don’t test me, Tempest. I know where you live. (Devil emoji) _

_ Jamie: What would you even do to him, Claire? Force feed him tea? XD _

_ Stevie: Oooo, burn. (Three fire emojis) _

_ Claire: Jamie _

_ Claire: I will drop kick you. _

_ Tempest: Pfft XD _

_ Jamie: Fite me (ง'̀-'́)ง _

_ Stevie: Jamie, Claire would beat the shit outta ya and you know it. _

_ Jamie: No she wouldn’t! _

_ Stevie: I bet ya $20 that she will beat you in a fight. _

_ Jamie: Oh. You. Are. ON!! Claire, next time we hang out, you and me, in the back alley, we’re having a throwdown!! _

_ Claire: Sure thing, love. Have fun bleeding from your nose and eating the concrete. (Smile emoji) _

_ Jamie: ...That sentence should not be followed by that emoji. _

_ Claire: That’s the point. (Halo emoji) _

_ Stevie: Claire is gonna beat your skinny ass black and blue Jamie. _

_ Jamie: ...(T^T) _

_ Claire: You know it’s bad when your own boyfriend says you’re gonna lose a fight. _

_ Stevie: For the last time Claire, we are not dating! _

_ Claire: Yeah, riiiiiight.  _

_ Jamie: I’m not even gay! I’m straight!! _

_ Claire: Deniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiial~ _

_ Tempest: ANYWAY, guys I got the job! _

_ Jamie: YAAAY!! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ _

_ Stevie: Congrats dude. (Three thumbs up emojis) _

_ Claire: Way to go Tempest!! I knew you had it in you!! Oh, I could just jump through this screen and hug you right now!! (Clapping emojis) _

_ Tempest: Awww, thanks guys! (Blushing emoji) I didn’t think you’d be this supportive. _

_ Stevie: Well, ya are one of, if not, the quietest and introverted kids at our school. _

_ Jamie: And you’re not exactly very good at talking to strangers. _

_ Claire: Not to mention you have a habit of panicking whenever to have to talk about yourself. _

_ Tempest: Okay, I get it. _

_ Claire: But we’re all proud of you! _

_ Tempest: ...You make it sound like you’re my parents. Only nicer and actually loving. _

_ Claire: Ugh. I almost wish I was your mum, that way I could give you the love and care you need. I’d be better than those two bloody twats! (Three angry emojis) _

_ Tempest: I appreciate the sentiment Claire, but I don’t think I could see you as my mother, I like you as a friend. Being my mom would just be weird. _

_ Claire: Eh, fair point. (Eye roll emoji) Still hate your folks though. _

_ Stevie: Speaking of parents, how’s your arm doin’ Temp? _

_ Jamie: Yeah, is it feeling better? _

_ Tempest: Oh, that. _

_ Tempest: It’s better, I think. Not hurting as bad as it was last night, I cleaned it up more this morning and I didn’t feel any more glass, so I think Claire got it all out. _

_ Jamie: That’s good. At least it’s not infected or anything. _

_ Tempest: Jamie, please don’t make me worry more than I already am. _

_ Claire: I still can’t believe your arse of a dad would throw you into glass! What kind of pillock would do that to their own flesh and blood!? (Three angry emojis) _

_ Tempest: My father apparently. _

_ Tempest: Thank you again for helping with the glass. _

_ Claire: You don’t need to thank me love, you would’ve done the same for me. _

_ Tempest: True. _

_ Tempest: Still, thank you. it’s nice to have a friend that I can come to when I need someone. _

_ Claire: It’s no problem love. I’ll always be here when you need me. _

_ Claire: And I have a blunt, so I can protect you. (Devil emoji) _

_ Jamie: ...wat _

_ Stevie: Why do you have a blunt?? _

_ Claire: To stab my enemies. (Devil emoji and knife emoji) _

_ Jamie: …?? _

_ Stevie: Claire _

_ Stevie: You can’t stab someone with a blunt. _

_ Claire: Yes you can! You should know this, you own a blunt!! _

_ Jamie: Claire, be honest, are you high right now? _

_ Stevie: I mean _

_ Stevie: I do, but I don’t go stabbing people with a stick of weed. (Cigarette emoji) _

_ Stevie: It’s not exactly sharp. _

_ Claire: … _

_ Claire: A knife you bloody twit!! _

_ Jamie: Ohhhhh. :o _

_ Stevie: Why didn’t you just call it a knife?! You made me think you were a closet smoker!! _

_ Claire: Well sorry for growing up in the U.K. with a BRITISH family and knowing a lot of BRITISH slang. _

_ Stevie: We get it, you’re British! _

_ Jamie: Are you sure you’re not high? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ Claire: Yes I’m sure! I don’t do drugs!! _

_ Stevie: Claire, a blunt is a weed cigar! _

_ Claire: It’s also a knife!! _

_ Jamie: Next time just call it a knife! _

_ Claire: No! I’ve been calling it that for years, I’m not gonna stop just because a blunt is also a term for weed! _

_ Stevie: You are a lost cause. _

_ Claire: Stevie, I will drive to your house, tie you up and make you EAT a blunt. _

_ Stevie: ...A knife or a weed cigar? _

_ Claire: Yes. (Devil emoji) _

_ Tempest: You guys are killing me (XD Emoji) I can’t breathe!! _

_ Kenzie has joined the chat. _

_ Kenzie: Why’re you guys talking about weed cigars? _

_ Stevie: You’re not allowed to know. You’re too young. _

_ Kenzie: I’m thirteen!! I’m not that young!! (Three angry emojis) _

_ Claire: That’s still young little love. _

_ Kenzie: Not little!! _

_ Jamie: You’re little, I can literally rest my head on top of yours. _

_ Kenzie: Fudge you Jamie!! When I’m taller, I’m gonna step on your head! _

_ Jamie: Heh, have fun with that shorty. _

_ Kenzie: (three angry emojis) _

_ Tempest: I wish I could stay, but I have to go. My boss probably wants me out by now. Bye guys! _

_ Jamie: Byyyyyyeeee ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ _

_ Kenzie: See ya around Temp!! Have fun at your new job! Bring me back a pine cone!! _

_ Stevie: If babysitting my sister has taught me anything, you need some luck on your side. Good luck dude. (Thumbs up emoji) _

_ Kenzie: Hey! Rude! (Angry emoji) _

_ Claire: Don't die, I still need a reliable referee for Jamie and I’s throwdown. (Waving emoji) _

Tempest giggled quietly as he read Claire’s last message. She was always the feisty one of the group, the one who wouldn’t hesitate to fist fight you if you said the wrong thing to her. That’s something he loved about her, she didn’t hesitate, she just acted. It gave her an edge, one that Tempest found unpredictable yet sort of endearing. All three of his friends had their little quirks and traits that made them stand out. Jamie had his bubbly and hyper personality, his random sense of humor and his his ability to make all of them smile. Stevie had his chill demeanor, his amazing singing voice, of which Tempest was a little envious, and his mischievous nature. Claire had her feisty edge, her tomboy/sassy attitude, and her kind, sisterly heart. Even Stevie’s little sister, whom they would hang out with sometimes, Kenzie had her little quirks. She had her love for all things adorable, her obsessions and her fast talking. Tempest let out a little content sigh, placing his phone on his heart and smiling. He loved his friends, they meant the world to him. They made his life a little bit more bearable. Checking his phone battery, Tempest plugged the charger into a nearby socket and hooked up his phone to it, placing it on the dresser.

He was just about to leave to go outside, when the door all but slammed open, making Tempest jump out of surprise, then he lost his balance and fell onto the floor on his back. “Ow…” He groaned, sitting up, reaching behind himself and rubbing his now sore back. The teenager glanced up to see who had slammed the door open. A man, looking around the same age as David, was standing at the table near the door. He had brown, fluffy, messy hair, nicely tanned skin, yellowish-amber eyes, a ghost of a beard and, similarly to himself, several piercings. A crimson jacket was tied around his waist by the sleeves. He was grinning wide and staring at his phone. “A hundred percent, hell yeah!!” The guy fist bumped the air, his eyes practically sparkling. Then he noticed Tempest out of the corner of his eye and he turned to face him. Neither of them said anything for a good minute or so. Tempest looked like a deer in the headlights, not knowing what to do or say. Then, the guy smiled and pointed, very overdramatically, at him.  _ “Yooooou!” _ He yelled in a tone similar to an anime or cartoon villain yelling at the protagonist.

“U-Um… y-yes??” Tempest said in confusion. What was with this place and having such cartoony people?? “You’re the dude I’m sharing the room with, ain'tcha?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Tempest nodded his head slowly. “Y-Yes, I-I am.” He confirmed, still confused. The guy then sprinted over the where he was on the floor and pulled him to his feet without giving him a second to even think. He stuck his hand out and looked at him expectedly. “Teddy Richardson, ghost hunter, camp counselor and certified dork, awesome to meet ya, my dude!” Teddy introduced himself in such a fast way that Tempest had to stand there for a minute to process what the heck he had just said. When he did, he slowly accepted his hand and shook it slowly. “I- um… I’m Tempest White, u-um teenager, tenth grader and theater kid?” The moment the word ‘theater’ left his mouth, Teddy’s eyes widened and practically shined, as though Tempest had just confessed that he was a superhero sent to earth to protect the world from some cliche supervillain. He suddenly threw one of his arms around Tempest’s shoulder and pulled him close to his side.

“Yoooo!! You’re a theater kid? That makes two of us bro!” Teddy pointed a thumb at himself and smirked pridefully. Oh. So, he was a theater kid too? That… That explained  _ so _ much. The older man poked Tempest’s nose. “We’re gonna be buddies, I just know it.” Teddy hummed a little tune, released the teenager and put his hands in his jean pockets. “Sooo, whatcha doin’ in here? Shouldn’t you be out with David and Gwen?” He asked. Tempest toyed with the bottom of his shirt, not making eye contact with the other male. “I-I was putting my stuff away s-sir…” He stuttered, cringing at how bad his voice shook. Curse his anxiety! Teddy frowned at him and shook his head. “Nu-uh, don’t use none that ‘sir’ stuff on me dude, just call me Teddy. Formality ain’t my thing.” He said in a chill tone, reminding Tempest a little bit of Stevie. “I-I’m just being polite si- Teddy.” Tempest managed to correct himself, but his face flushed a light pink, making Teddy chuckle. “It’s no prob, bro. No need to get all red in the face about it.” He teased, making Tempest squeak and hide his face in his hands.

Teddy laughed at the young man’s reaction and playfully slapped his back. “Haha! Calm down dude, I’m just messin’ with ya! Welcome to Camp Campbell, I joke around with everyone!” He chuckled, patting Tempest’s back and smirking at him. The poor boy huffed quietly and glared at the older brunette, trying to look intimidating and failing due to his crimson cheeks. “N-Not funny.” That only made Teddy laugh again, louder this time. “Maybe not to you, but it is to me!” He jested, making Tempest pout in annoyance. Finally, Teddy stopped his uncontrollable laughing and Tempest’s blush had gone away. The older brunette placed an arm around Tempest’s shoulders again and smiled kindly at him. “Let’s go on outside, I’ll show ya around the camp!” He then leaned down and whispered; “Just a heads up, the kids here are a little ‘quirky’, so don’t be surprised if they start acting weird.” Tempest tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?” He asked. Teddy smirked at him. “You’ll see.” Tempest blinked, then he shrugged. They were just kids, they couldn’t be  _ that  _ bad.


	4. An Unlikely Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!! This chapter contains detailed discriptions of child abuse/neglect and the main character showing signs of PTSD. If you are sensitive to anything mentioned, do not read this chapter! Thank you!

The weather outside was delightful. Summer was always nice around Sleepy Peak. The bright blue sky was clear, not a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining her warm rays of sunshine down on the small town and its people. It was all quite calming. Tempest strolled down the sidewalk of the old town looking over the small list of groceries he had been given. He had only arrived just moments ago in the beat-up campmobile. David and Gwen had sent him out to get some food and supplies for camp activities. They gave him enough money to buy what they needed, so lucky he didn’t have to pay for it himself. He didn’t have much money to begin with, this job didn’t exactly pay well. He wordlessly read the list in his head, noting what all he needed to get. _‘Milk, Cookie Crisps, frozen pizza… Nothing big, I should be done pretty quickly.’_ He thought.  
  
The past few weeks had been… interesting to say the least. When Teddy said that the campers were quirky, he didn’t think he meant that the kids were crazy! Well, maybe crazy was a little too harsh of a word to use. They were… mischievous. Yeah, that was the right word, mischievous. Especially Max and his two friends, Nikki and Neil. Those three managed to find trouble wherever they go. Besides those three, the other campers had their own little quirks and characteristics. It made them all unique. Out of all the campers, Tempest got along with Preston the most. The young man was very passionate about the theater. He was the embodiment of the stereotypical theater brat. Extremely loud, exceedingly over dramatic and loving being the center of attention. Being a theater kid himself, Tempest knew who to hold a conversation with the younger male. It wasn’t uncommon to hear the two of them to start singing songs from ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and ‘The Heathers’, or for the two to get into long-winded conversations about musicals and various plays that the two love.  
  
Tempest had also, somehow, became friends with Teddy or in his words ‘Besties’. The teenager got a brotherly vibe from him. Teddy would often talk with him at night about random things like friends, crushes, things the campers did and stories about each other's lives. He was quite the character. Tempest had learned a lot about the other man in the short time the two had been sharing a room. Teddy was a self-proclaimed ‘ghost hunter’, he would often go on and on about the paranormal activity in Sleepy Peek and how he was going to get proof of spirits to prove to the ‘non-believers’, aka Gwen, that ghosts exist. Tempest himself had never really thought about the paranormal, but from how Teddy talked about it, it seemed interesting. David also seemed like a nice man. Like Teddy, he was very cartoony and animated. He was optimistic, even at times when it didn’t seem very appropriate. He reminded him a lot of Jamie now that he thought about it. Overall, his time spent at Camp Campbell so far was interesting. As the young man continued to walk down the old-timey town’s sidewalk, looking inside some of the store windows and occasionally glancing over his shoulder, he felt a vibration come from one of his jean pockets. He frowned, stopped walking, pulled his phone out and tilted his head in confusion. He then froze in complete and total fear when he saw what had made his phone go off.  
  
 _Incoming call from Dad…_  
  
Tempest felt his face go pale as the small device continued to vibrate in his hands, then he frantically glanced around, several people were chatting amongst themselves or walking down the sidewalks. Silently panicking, the teen quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway and sprinting a little ways away from the entrance so no one could hear anything that might go down between him and his father. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the cold sweat that had enveloped his body from stress and fear, Tempest swiped the answer button and shakily placed his phone to his ear. “He-Hello F-Father…” Tempest’s voice shook harshly, as did his thin body, even when his father was miles away he still made the boy tremble in terror at the mere sound of his loud, rage-filled voice. Of course, his father was upset. He was always upset. Tempest couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t upset about something. “Why the hell haven’t you called us!? You’ve been at that damn camp fer weeks an’ ya haven’t called to say a goddamn thing!!” Tempest flinched when his father’s voice blared into his ear, making him whimper audibly and bite his lip to keep from bursting into tears. He opened his mouth to try and defend himself, only to lout out a tiny hoarse squeak. His throat and mouth were bone dry and his voice was completely gone due to his overwhelming fear and anxiety at hearing his father’s voice.  
  
His silence only seemed to anger his father further as the young male heard a low, irate growl come from his phone, causing a shiver to run throughout his entire body. _“Answer me,_ ya fucking little shit!!” He roared loudly, a slam followed as his father pounded his fist onto a wall, making Tempest jump. Tempest’s voice finally returned to him and he managed to force out an explanation to attempt and please his father. “I-I-I t-tried to c-call you, b-but you and Mother never p-pick up! I-I texted you-.” His uncontrollable stuttering was very noticeable, it felt as though his tongue grew three sizes, making it impossible to speak clearly. He didn’t get a chance to finish his statement because his father cut him off with more angry shouting. “That don’t matter, where’s the money from yer last paycheck?! I need my damn drinkin’ money!!” Tempest shrank back out of reflex, pressing his back to the close by brick wall and using his free arm to hug himself in some vague attempt to calm himself down. He didn’t succeed however, he only made himself more frightened and more scared of the voice coming from the other side of his phone. He looked over at the entrance to the alley, almost expecting his father to appear from the light and suck all the life from the place. _“I-I… I spent it…”_ His reply came out weak and quiet, causing his father to snarl. “Speak up boy, I can’t fuckin’ hear ya!!” His father barked over the phone, making Tempest tense up and bite down harder on his lip.  
  
“I spent it…” He choked out, a little louder this time and he regretted answering the moment his father opened his drunken mouth. “You did _what!?”_ His father shouted, anger and fury extremely evident in his voice. “Why the fuck did ya do that!?” Tempest went on the defensive, rushing to explain and, hopefully, save himself from his father’s wrath. “I-I-I needed to pay for my phone service F-Father! I-I’d have no other w-way to contact you without my phone working!” The teenager explained quickly and shakily, praying that his father would understand and stop screaming at him. However, he should’ve known that wasn’t going to happen, he could never prove his father wrong, nothing made his father happy, he did not simply ‘let things slide’, the only thing that calmed him down was yelling, screaming, going off on his wife and making Tempest’s life a living hell. “I don’t give-a-shit about ya not bein’ able tah contact me you little fuckin’ brat!! Ya think I give two fucks about you bein’ able to call me?! I don’t, god I can’t even stand hearin’ yer stupid, whiny, annoying, pathetic little voice!!”  
  
Tempest felt his body go rigid and his breathing ceased for a moment, then it turned frantic. Overwhelming dread began to take over his mind and body, it felt like someone had punched him hard in the gut, making those unpleasant and nagging memories that he had been trying his damnedest to repress push to the front of his mind. “Yer such a little _brat,_ a shitty, stupid, _brat!_ First, you waste my damn time makin’ me drive you to a fuckin’ interview!! Then, ya go an’ spend my drinkin’ money on yer fuckin’ phone service!? Ya know what? When this summer is over and you come home, imma get out my belt and Imma beat yer little ass black and blue, _you worthless child!!”_ Tempest began to hear father’s ranting less and less as the world around him seemed to take a dramatic shift, becoming almost foggy and gray, so much so that he didn’t even hear the soft click of his father hanging up his phone, leaving him standing silently in the dark alleyway. He hadn’t noticed, but tears had begun to slide down his face as the horrible feeling in his gut intensified.  
  
 _Then he saw it again, that day._ _  
_ _  
_ _That horrible, terrible, day._ _  
_ _  
_His mother and father were fighting again, from his small bedroom twelve-year-old Tempest could hear the infuriated shouting, the shattering of glass, the bangs of fists against walls and tables, all of it. It was a normal experience for him, something no child should never have to admit to. Tempest played with his fingers and stared at the door in worry and concern as he thought over his limited options. He needed to use the bathroom. But, he was scared of crossing paths with one of his parents at a time like this, especially after his father had ordered him to stay in his room. Three painful minutes passed by as Tempest crossed his legs and tried to ignore the discomfort he was feeling, but soon he couldn’t hold it anymore. He stood from his bed and shuffled his way over to his door. The boy peeked his head outside and quickly glanced down the hallway. He didn’t see any signs of his parents, they must still be in the kitchen. When he felt confident enough, Tempest took off down the hall and ducked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and releasing the breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. After relieving himself, Tempest flushed the toilet and washed his hands, then he unlocked the door and walked out. That’s where he made a big mistake. He didn’t check to see if his parents were outside the bathroom.  
  
Before he had time to react, Tempest was snatched by the back of his shirt collar and lifted off the ground. He cried out in fear as he came face to face with his extremely enraged father who had an iron grip on his shirt. He was drunk. Tempest could smell the alcohol in his breath. “What the fuck er’ you doin’ out of yer fuckin’ room!?” He screamed, making Tempest tear up. “I-I h-had to u-use the b-bathroom P-Papa.” The scared little boy stuttered. His father didn’t appear to like that answer as he found himself crying in pain seconds later from being dropped to the floor. “I don’t give a shit if ya had to use the damn bathroom, I fuckin’ told ya to stay in yer goddamn room!! If ya ain’t gonna follow my fuckin’ rules, then I’m gonna beat yer little ass to make ya follow em!” His father shouted as he removed his belt and towered over his cowering son.   
  
It felt like Tempest was outside of his body, while his mind was with his younger self. Phantom pains blossomed all over his body as the scene continued to play in front of him. He wanted to desperately help his younger self. He wanted to do so many things. He wanted to shove his father away, smack him, yell at him, tell him how wrong and evil this was, he wanted to take his younger self away from him, hold him in his arms, tell him everything was okay. So many emotions, so many feelings, so many fears, so much pain. But, above all else, one emotion bared it’s ugly fangs at him and took hold of his mind and heart. Dread.  
  
 _Dread._ _  
_ _  
_ _Dread._ _  
_ _  
_ _Dread._ _  
_ _  
_ _Dread!_ _  
_ _  
_ ** _Dread!!_** **  
**  
And just like that, it ended. Tempest was once again in the alleyway, cellphone pressed firmly to his ear and eyes downcast. Slowly, the teenager shifted his arm and slid his cellphone back into his pocket. For a few minutes, Tempest didn’t move, he just stood in silence, back pressed against the brick wall, heart racing far too fast and face wet with tears that were still falling. As he slowly began to think over the whole situation that just happened, Tempest slowly began to slide down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. Then, he whimpered, followed by a harsh sob. Finally, he broke down, pulling his legs to his chest, burying his face in his arms and crying uncontrollably. Everything hurt, his head, his eyes, his heart, everything. Not just from the flashback, but also from his father’s words. It was true, it was all true. He hated it so much and he hated himself for being this way. He was supposed to be strong, prideful like any other man would be, like his father told him to be, but he wasn’t like that. He was just Tempest White, a thin sixteen-year-old boy that was curled up against a brick wall crying his eyes out.  
  
He was nothing more than a weak child, _a brat._ He was pathetic, he was stupid, he was whiny, He was annoying and he was worthless. Just when Tempest felt that things were going well and he was happy for once, his father just had to come in and ruin it all. But that didn’t even matter because he deserved it. He deserved it all. Part of his head screamed that what his father said was wrong, that everything he did was wrong, but at times like this, that’s hard to believe. _‘Stupid, worthless, pathetic little boy. Why can’t I do anything right?’_ Tempest continued to cry and tremble on the ground. Nobody cared about him, his mother only cared about getting drunk, having sex with her many, many boyfriends and being a lazy slacker. All his dad cared about was drinking and drinking and drinking, that was all he did when he wasn’t at work or yelling at Tempest or his wife. His friends were the only people that truly gave a shit about him and his well-being.  
  
Claire would hug him, fight the evil people that would go after him, clean his wounds. Jamie and Kenzie would cheer him up with their jokes and skits, they would make him laugh, distract him from all the pain and hurt inside his heart. Stevie would play songs on his guitar, he would sing for him, he would tell him that he was strong. August would talk with him, comfort him, make him feel wanted. His friends were more of a family then his parents had ever been. They were all so loving and understanding and he wanted so badly to be with him right now, but they were miles away. He was all alone. Tempest just continued to sit there and cry and wail, his shoulders shaking and his heart throbbing in pain and sorrow. _He was broken._ As he continued sitting there a set of footsteps approached him, but he didn’t notice. “Hey…” Tempest jumped, his head snapping up when he heard the rough voice. A rather tall man stood in front of him. He looked rugged and… confused? Concerned? Tempest didn’t know the right word to describe the look on his face.  
  
That really didn’t matter at the moment though. Tempest whimpered and attempted to press himself closer to the wall, after having an episode like that, he was on high alert. He didn’t know this man, he was a stranger in an alleyway and the last thing Tempest needed today was to die. The man appeared to take immediate notice of the young man’s raising fear, instantly he pulled his hands from the pockets of his hoodie, held them up and shot him a worried expression. “Woah, Woah, kid calm down! I’m not gonna hurt ya.” Tempest still looked unconvinced, people lied, that’s why he didn’t trust them so blindly. “Th-Then wh-what are you g-going to do?” He asked, voice cracking and stuttering harshly. The man frowned, sidestepped a bit and carefully at next to the sniffling teenager, making sure to give the boy some space. “I could hear ya cryin’ from down the other end of the alley. I jus’ wanted to see if ya were okay.” He paused, looking a little awkward and maybe a little nervous. “So… are ya okay? What got ya so upset? Bad day or somethin’?” He asked.  
  
“N-No. E-Everything was going -sniffle- g-great, but then my D-Dad just had to go and ruin everything!” He shouted or well, snapped slightly above his normal speaking volume. The man raised an eyebrow. “Did you and him get into an argument or somethin’?” Tempest snorted spitefully and rolled his eyes. “We had s-something alright. -sniffle- He got m-mad at me for not giving him the money from my last paycheck from Camp Campbell so he could go out d-drinking.” He sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his wrists. The man looked a little surprised from what Tempest had said. “Damn, he got mad at ya for that?” Tempest nodded and sighed. “Yeah, you should see what he does to people when he’s mad, I’m lucky that he just yelled at me over the phone…” He trailed off, inadvertently playing with the bandages on his right arm. The man’s green eyes trailed down to Tempest’s bandaged arm. He had a look of uncertainty on his face. “Did… Did yer dad do that to you?” Tempest nodded again, eyes becoming downcast. “Y-Yeah, he threw me into glass.” He admitted softly.  
  
“What the _hell!?”_ The man exclaimed, making Tempest jump slightly. The man quickly lowered his voice back down as to not frighten Tempest any farther, but his tone was still laced with concern and worry. “Have ya… told anyone ‘bout this?” He gestured to Tempest’s arm. “I-I have. I-I’ve told my friends. One of them helped me get the glass out and clean up the cuts.” The man didn’t look any less worried from that answer, so he asked another question. “Have ya told any of yer teachers about what yer Dad does to ya?” He inquired. “Y-Yes, but… they never do anything… I told my middle school teachers and she just laughed at me… She said I was just looking for attention, so I didn’t tell my other teachers because they probably wouldn’t believe me.” He muttered, biting his lip again to keep from crying. The man looked completely floored. _What. The._ _Hell!?_ What jackass would think that a child claiming to have an abusive parent was just lying for attention!? “But that doesn’t matter, I deserve it…” What? The man stared at the young man beside him with wide eyes. Did… Did he hear that right? Did he just say…?  
  
“What’d ya mean?” Tempest stares at the ground and sniffled. “My Dad says I’m weak… and he’s right. I’m weak, I startle easily, I can’t fight to save my life, I hate hurting people, I mess everything up, I’m just… _worthless,_ pathetic. I deserve everything he does to me. What good am I if all I do is screw things up?” He mumbled, tears forming in his eyes once more. The man sat in silence for a minute, trying to wrap his head around what he just heard. This kid thought he _deserved_ to be abused?? Dear god, what did that asshole do to this poor kid to make him think that?! “That ain’t true. Ya don’t deserve any-a that.” He stated firmly, watching the teenager stare up at him in surprise. “B-But, I-I’m weak-!” The man cut him off. “Ya ain’t weak kid. Just ‘cause ya get scared easy an’ ya don’t fight don’t mean yer weak. It means ya got a big heart.” The man consoled, causing Tempest to sit up a bit and stare at him with wide, shocked eyes. A minute passed as the two stared at each other in silence while Tempest thought the man’s words over in his head. Then he sniffled, biting back tears and smiled at the man.  
  
“Th-Thank you, s-sir. Th-Thank you so much!” Tempest whipped his eyes again, not wanting to look like a blubbering idiot. The man shook his head and smirked at the teen. “Don’t call me that kid, call me Kevin, Dirty Kevin.” Tempest frowned, tilting his head in confusion. “Dirty Kevin? Is that a nickname or something?” He asked, making Kevin chuckle. “Ya could say that. I’m well-known round here for sellin’ some er,” He paused, trying to gage Tempest’s age for a moment before continuing. _“Herbs.”_ Tempest stared at Kevin for a second with a knowing expression. “...You sell drugs don’t you?” Kevin rubbed his neck sheepishly. _“Maaaaybe?”_ Tempest rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I know what drugs are you know, one of my friends smokes drugs, you don’t have to sugar coat things for me.” He stated dryly, making Kevin chuckle and shake his head. “Sorry, sorry, just didn’t wanna freak ya out more than I already did.” He laughed, patting Tempest’s back and smirking at him. Tempest normally didn’t like people he didn’t know well touching him, it freaked him out, but when Kevin patted his back he surprisingly didn’t mind, he didn’t even flinch.  
  
“Um… what made you want to help me? Drug dealers don’t seem like the type of people that like help others.” Tempest questioned, glancing up at Kevin. “Hey, jus’ ‘cause I’m a drug dealer don’t mean I can’t feel empathy. That’s stereotypin’.” Kevin corrected. “As fer why I wanted to help ya? Well, call it an intuition. I jus’ felt you needed someone to talk to.” He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. Tempest smiled at him, feeling a tiny bit of warmth inside his heart. Then he remembered that he still had groceries to get for David and Gwen, as well as a job to get back to. He quickly hopped to his feet and whirled around to face Kevin. “Ah! I-I’m sorry! I need to go! I have to get groceries for my co-workers a-and I need to get back to my job at Camp Campbell, I can’t risk being fired!” He blurted out frantically, catching Kevin off guard a little. “Oh! Uh… Thank you for being so nice to me si- Kevin, it means a lot to me. I-I hope we can see each other again!” With that, Tempest turned on his heels and took off down the alleyway. Just as he got to the entrance, Kevin’s voice calling out to him stopped him in his tracks. “Wait! Ya never told me yer name!” Tempest blushed in embarrassment, only he would forget to tell a person his name after they just comforted and talked with him. Looking over his shoulder he quickly exclaimed; “My name is __Tempest!” Before racing off in the direction of the nearest grocery store, leaving Kevin with both a warm feeling in his heart.  


_ But at the same time, he also felt uneasy. _


End file.
